The Sussex Bees
by Truely Hopeless
Summary: On August 22, 1932, Holmes is murdered and Watson is framed. 77 years later, Holmes' great-grandchildren find the truth and go back in time to save his life. Abandoned because I have lost the desire to finish it, but the first chapter is left so that anyone who wants to rewrite the story with their own characters is free to do so. -Hopeless


**Author's Note: Hey there!!! This is my first EVER story!!! PLEASE BE NICE!!! Holmes, Russell, Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade and Gregson belong to Laurie R King and Arthur Conan Doyle. I don't know whether or not Judith exists yet or if she would have the same personality as the one in this story so let's just put her in the middle. Again, please don't give me nasty comments about the ending of this chapter!!! Things will get better, I promise!!!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Now, let's begin the story in a familiar place for all LRK fans, the cottage on the Sussex downs where Sherlock Holmes is playing Hide and Seek with his seven-year-old daughter, Judith, awaiting the return of his wife, Mary Russell, who is nearing the end of her second pregnancy. Unaware that he will not live to see his son, unaware that a terrible person waits for him in the laboratory, unaware that the people who will avenge his death will be his great-grandchildren...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter One----------------------------------------------------------------------**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------A Tragedy At The Cottage------------------------------------------------------------**

**August 22, 1932**

**Judith laughed when her father said in a supposedly surprised voice, "Oh! There you are, Judith!" She laughed at her father's pretending she was gone for a million years as another child would laugh at a rabbit bounding in the garden. Holmes checked his watch, still smiling at his daughter. "Well done, Judith," he said, patting her shoulder. "It nearly took me an hour to find you this time." Judith beamed at him.**

"**I would have burst out laughing any moment, even if you weren't saying 'come out, come out, wherever you are' at regular intervals," she said, trying to suppress another laugh and failing miserably. "I love playing Hide and Seek, especially if it's with you."**

**Holmes noticed, not for the first time, how much Judith resembled her mother. Russell had long blonde hair that was usually in two plaits and bright blue eyes framed by wire rimmed spectacles. Judith also had blonde that she started wearing in plaits, she had also gotten into the habit of wearing trousers, Mrs. Hudson had her wear a blue cardigan so she wouldn't confuse her for one of the odd boys in Sussex who had started wearing their hair long. Judith also wore spectacles but her eyes were grey rather than blue; she had Holmes' eyes.**

**His revere was broken by the girl herself. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw Judith climb onto the arm chair and spread out her arms.**

**"Judith!" he cried, leaping from the sofa just as she did the same. He caught her, but they both fell to the floor. They looked into each others eyes, grey into grey, then, realizing that neither of them were hurt, they burst out laughing. "Please don't do that again, Judith," Holmes said when they stood up.**

**"Sorry," she said. "I was bored. When will Mum come home again?"**

**"This afternoon. And she will stay here until your little sister is born."**

**"Don't be silly, Dad!" Judith said laughing. "It could be a brother. I hope it's a brother. Do you want to play chess?"**

**"Of course," Holmes answered. Judith got the board from the bookshelf and set up the pieces.**

**"Black or white?" she asked.**

**"Black," Holmes said. The game took nearly an hour to complete, but Judith finally cornered Holmes' king. He laughed and applauded. "Congratulations, you are the first person who succeeded to defeat me fifty times at chess."**

**"Don't forget, Dad, you beat me twenty times when I first became interested in this game. You taught me how to play this game, so I owe it all to you." She went around the board and hugged him.**

**Holmes, surprised, but grateful that she wasn't trying to jump off any more furniture, hugged her back. They stayed like that for a few minutes.**

**"What have you been working on?" Judith asked when they broke apart.**

**"An experiment concerning the stones we found on the beach last week. Do you want to see one of them?" Judith nodded. "Then stay here while I go get it."**

**Holmes went up the stairs, feeling as though nothing could spoil his happiness. Judith was following in his footsteps, Russell would be home in about two hours and in a few days time there would be another child to raise. What could ruin today? Holmes thought. He had reached the landing, opened the door to the laboratory and went inside.**

**He was about to pick up the chain with the blue stone when it happened: A harsh voice came from the door.**

**"I thought you would show more caution." Holmes spun around just as the figure closed the door and locked it. He stared in horror as it laughed a cold, insane laugh. "'What goes around comes around,' Sherlock Holmes!" it said in a voice with no pity, no remorse, not caring that its actions would destroy more than one life.**

**Not caring that the person who would be the most upset was right outside the door...---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Russell had reached the downs now. She couldn't wait to see her family again after two long weeks at Oxford. The child in her belly gave a gentle kick. Russell smiled and patted it.**

**"In a few days, you will see your father and sister," she told it. The cottage was in site now. Russell saw at once something was wrong. There were three cars parked outside the cottage, people were running about, cursing and shouting orders at one another. Russell jumped out of the old Morris and was about to run inside to see if Holmes and Judith were alright when a man seized her by the arm.**

**"This is a crime scene, madam," he said through clenched teeth.**

**"What crime?" Russell demanded, trying to throw him off.**

**"Ask Sherlock Holmes, that is if he's still here." This scared Russell. Why would Holmes be gone? Finally, someone intervened.**

**"Gregson! What are you doing?!" Inspector Lestrade, one of Holmes' friends from Scotland Yard, was marching up to them, glaring at the man.**

**"This woman was trying to enter the cottage, Lestrade," Gregson said, still holding Russell by the arm in a tight grip.**

**"'This woman' has all the reason to do so," Lestrade said coldly.**

**"Why is that?"**

**"Because, you idiot, she's Mr. Holmes' wife and the mother of our informant!" At "Mr. Holmes' wife," Gregson let go of Russell.**

**"Sorry, Mrs. Holmes," he said. "I didn't know." He left. Lestrade shook his head.**

**"My apologies, Miss Russell," he said. "Gregson never met you so..." He shook his head again.**

**"What's going on, Inspector?" Russell asked, desperate to know if her husband and daughter were alright.**

**"Your daughter called Scotland Yard today with the message that Mr. Holmes was shot."**

**"What?!" Russell said sharply. "How could this happen?"**

**"Someone slipped into the laboratory when Mr. Holmes and Judith were downstairs." Mrs. Hudson walked towards them. She had blood on her sleeve and she was shaking. "I came in just as Judith finished the call. I asked her what was so urgent that she had to call Scotland Yard and she told me Mr. Holmes was hurt. I helped her carry him to her room. He looked awful, covered in blood. He's still alive, Judith is with him, still trying to stop the blood. He would possibly want to talk to you, Mary."**

**Russell ran into the cottage, up the stairs and into Judith's room. Holmes was on the bed with Judith right beside him. They were both covered in blood, Judith was dipping her beautiful blue cardigan into a basin full of water and pressing it to the wound on his right side. Holmes saw Russell and he smiled a very sad smile. Russell crouched next to him and seized his hand.**

**"Holmes, what happened?" He explained everything.**

**"I am afraid that I will not see the second child," he said, after the story was finished. Judith burst into tears. Russell wanted to scream in anguish about her dying husband. Holmes' eyes closed. "Goodbye, I love you both." Russell bent down and brushed her lips against his for the last time.**

**For one long, torturous moment, she felt him respond, and then he was gone. Russell pulled away and went over to her daughter and hugged her. Sherlock Holmes was dead and would never come back.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Author's Note: Sorry for making a tear-jerker. I promise I will make this right in the end!!!**


End file.
